ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Magda Sayeg - Textile artist
Magda Sayeg uses handmade, eye-catching yarn bombs to shake up the way we see the world and make us notice things we hadn't seen before.

Why you should listen

Considered to be the mother of yarn bombing, Magda Sayeg’s 10-year body of work includes the widely recognized knitted/crocheted covered bus in Mexico City as well as her first solo exhibit in Rome at La Museo des Esposizione. Her work has evolved to include large scale installations around the world including commissions and collaborations with companies such as Commes Des Garçons, CR Fashionbook, Absolut Vodka, Insight 51, Mini Cooper, Gap, Smart Car. She continues to participate in shows such as Milan's Triennale Design Museum, Le M.U.R. in Paris and the National Gallery of Australia, among others. Her installations have also been featured prominently at American monuments to contemporary culture, such as The Standard Hotel, South By Southwest and the Austin City Limits Festival.

Magda has most recently expanded her artwork to encompass new mediums and techniques as with her solo show in Rome, which explored the usage of lighting with knitted material. She continues to expand her boundaries by joining integrated media company 1stAveMachine as one of their directors which will serve as a platform for new types of experimentation and collaboration.

Recent projects include an installation for Dover Street Market in NYC covering a column spanning 6 floors and a knitted/crocheted Route Master Double Decker bus in London.

More profile about the speaker
Magda Sayeg | Speaker | TED.com
TEDYouth 2015

Magda Sayeg: How yarn bombing grew into a worldwide movement

Magda Sayeg: Como o "yarn bombing" se tornou um movimento mundial

Filmed:
1,427,235 views

Magda Sayeg, artista têxtil, transforma paisagens urbanas em seu próprio playground, decorando objetos comuns com obras feitas de tricôs e crochês coloridos. Esses "yarn bombs" calorosos e felpudos começaram simples, em placas de trânsito e hidrantes na cidade natal de Sayeg, mas logo as pessoas descobriram uma conexão com essa arte e espalharam-na pelo mundo. "Todos vivemos nesse mundo acelerado e digital, mas ainda assim desejamos algo com que possamos nos identificar", diz Sayeg. "O poder oculto pode ser encontrado nos lugares mais simples, e todos temos habilidades que estão apenas esperando serem descobertas".
- Textile artist
Magda Sayeg uses handmade, eye-catching yarn bombs to shake up the way we see the world and make us notice things we hadn't seen before. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
I'm a textile artist
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Sou artista têxtil,
mais conhecida por ter dado início
ao movimento "yarn bombing".
00:15
most widely known for starting
the yarn bombing movement.
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Yarn bombing é uma técnica
em que você usa malha ou crochê
00:18
Yarn bombing is when you take
knitted or crocheted material
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no ambiente urbano, como o "graffiti"...
00:21
out into the urban environment,
graffiti-style --
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ou, mais especificamente,
sem permissão ou proibição.
00:23
or, more specifically,
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00:24
without permission and unsanctioned.
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Mas, quando comecei,
mais de dez anos atrás,
00:26
But when I started this over 10 years ago,
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não tinha uma palavra pra isso,
não tinha qualquer pretensão com isso,
00:29
I didn't have a word for it,
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00:31
I didn't have any
ambitious notions about it,
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nenhuma intenção de "aparecer".
00:33
I had no visions of grandeur.
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00:35
All I wanted to see was something
warm and fuzzy and human-like
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Só queria ver algo caloroso,
felpudo e humano
em fachadas frias e cinzas
que eu via todos os dias.
00:39
on the cold, steel, gray facade
that I looked at everyday.
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00:43
So I wrapped the door handle.
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Então, cobri a maçaneta.
Chamei-a de "Obra Alpha".
00:45
I call this the Alpha Piece.
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Mal sabia que essa pequena obra
mudaria o rumo da minha vida.
00:47
Little did I know that this tiny piece
would change the course of my life.
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As reações foram claramente interessantes.
00:52
So clearly the reaction was interesting.
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00:54
It intrigued me and I thought,
"What else could I do?"
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Fiquei intrigada e pensei:
"O mais mais posso fazer?
Talvez algo no espaço público
que causasse a mesma reação?
00:56
Could I do something in the public domain
that would get the same reaction?
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Aí, cobri a haste da placa de "pare"
próximo à minha casa.
01:00
So I wrapped the stop sign
pole near my house.
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A reação foi surreal.
01:03
The reaction was wild.
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01:05
People would park their cars
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As pessoas estacionavam
e saíam dos carros pra olhar,
01:07
and get out of their cars and stare at it,
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01:09
and scratch their heads and stare at it,
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coçavam a cabeça e ficavam olhando,
tiravam fotos da placa e ao lado dela.
01:11
and take pictures of it
and take pictures next to it,
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Tudo isso era superempolgante pra mim
01:14
and all of that was really exciting to me
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01:16
and I wanted to do every stop sign pole
in the neighborhood.
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e quis fazer o mesmo
em todas placas de "pare" do bairro.
Quanto mais eu fazia, maior a reação.
01:19
And the more that I did,
the stronger the reaction.
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A essa altura, eu me rendi, me apaixonei.
01:22
So at this point I'm smitten.
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01:24
I'm hooked.
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Tudo aquilo me seduziu,
encontrei uma nova paixão
01:25
This was all seductive.
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01:26
I found my new passion
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e o ambiente urbano era o meu playground.
01:28
and the urban environment
was my playground.
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Esses são alguns
dos meus primeiros trabalhos.
01:31
So this is some of my early work.
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Eu tinha muita curiosidade
sobre essa coisa de melhorar o comum,
01:35
I was very curious about this idea
of enhancing the ordinary,
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o ordinário, até mesmo o feio,
01:38
the mundane, even the ugly,
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01:39
and not taking away its identity
or its functionality
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sem tirar sua identidade
ou funcionalidade,
mas apenas lhe dar uma capa bem tricotada.
01:43
but just giving it a well-tailored
suit out of knitting.
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Eu achava divertido.
01:46
And this was fun for me.
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Era bem divertido pegar
coisas inanimadas e dar vida a elas.
01:48
It was really fun
to take inanimate objects
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01:50
and have them come to life.
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Então...
01:53
So ...
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Acho que todos acham graça nisso, mas...
01:54
I think we all see the humor in this,
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01:56
but --
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(Risos)
01:58
(Laughter)
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01:59
I was at a point where
I wanted to take it seriously.
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cheguei a um ponto em que quis
levar isso a sério, queria analisar,
02:01
I wanted to analyze it.
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queria saber por que estava
deixando isso tomar conta de mim,
02:03
I wanted to know why I was letting
this take over my life,
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por que era apaixonada por isso,
por que os outros reagiam tanto a isso,
02:05
why I was passionate about it,
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02:07
why were other people
reacting so strongly to it.
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e descobri uma coisa.
02:09
And I realized something.
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02:11
We all live in this
fast-paced, digital world,
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Vivemos num mundo acelerado e digital,
mas sentimos falta e desejamos algo
com que nos identifiquemos.
02:14
but we still crave and desire
something that's relatable.
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Acho que ficamos dessensibilizados
02:18
I think we've all become desensitized
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por causa das cidades
superdesenvolvidas em que vivemos,
02:21
by our overdeveloped
cities that we live in,
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dos letreiros, dos anúncios,
estacionamentos gigantes,
02:24
and billboards and advertisements,
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02:26
and giant parking lots,
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que nem reclamamos mais dessas coisas.
02:28
and we don't even complain
about that stuff anymore.
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Então, quando encontramos
uma placa de trânsito envolvida em tricô,
02:31
So when you stumble upon
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02:32
a stop sign pole
that's wrapped in knitting
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que parece tão incomum
02:35
and it seems so out of place
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e, aos poucos, estranhamente,
encontramos um ligação com isso,
02:36
and then gradually -- weirdly --
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02:38
you find a connection to it,
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esse é o momento, o momento que adoro
e que adoro compartilhar com os outros.
02:40
that is the moment.
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02:41
That is the moment I love
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02:42
and that is the moment
I love to share with others.
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Então, a essa altura,
minha curiosidade cresceu.
02:46
So at this point, my curiosity grew.
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Fui dos hidrantes e placas de trânsito
para: "O que mais posso fazer com isso?
02:49
It went from the fire hydrants
and the stop sign poles
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02:52
to what else can I do with this material.
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Será que posso fazer algo grande,
em grande escala, insuperável?"
02:54
Can I do something big
and large-scale and insurmountable?
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Foi aí que surgiu o ônibus.
02:58
So that's when the bus happened.
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Foi um divisor de águas para mim.
03:03
This was a real game changer for me.
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Terei sempre guardado em meu coração.
03:05
I'll always have a soft spot
in my heart for this one.
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Aí, meu trabalho já estava
sendo reconhecido,
03:08
At this point, people
were recognizing my work
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mas não tinha muita coisa lá fora,
envolto em tricô, que fosse grande,
03:10
but there wasn't much out there
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03:11
that was wrapped in knitting
that was large-scale,
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e esse foi o primeiro ônibus
a ser coberto com tricô.
03:14
and this definitely was the first
city bus to be wrapped in knitting.
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Então, comecei a experimentar
ou a testemunhar algo interessante.
03:17
So at this point, I'm experiencing,
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03:19
or I'm witnessing something interesting.
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Posso ter começado o yarn bombing,
mas certamente ele não é mais meu.
03:21
I may have started yarn bombing
but I certainly don't own it anymore.
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Ele acabou se tornando global.
03:24
It had reached global status.
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Pessoas de todo mundo
começaram a fazer o mesmo.
03:26
People from all over the world
were doing this.
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03:28
And I know this because I would travel
to certain parts of the world
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Sei disso porque, viajando
pra alguns lugares do mundo
aos quais nunca tinha ido,
03:31
that I'd never been to,
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acabava encontrando uma placa
de trânsito coberta por outra pessoa.
03:32
and I'd stumble upon a stop sign pole
and I knew I didn't wrap it.
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Conforme fui em busca
dos meus objetivos com minha arte...
03:36
So as I pursued
my own goals with my art --
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esses são muitos dos meus
trabalhos recentes...
03:40
this is a lot of my recent work --
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assim foi com o yarn bombing,
ele também estava crescendo.
03:43
so was yarn bombing.
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03:44
Yarn bombing was also growing.
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E essa experiência me mostrou
o poder oculto dessa arte
03:45
And that experience showed me
the hidden power of this craft
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e me mostrou
03:50
and showed me
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que eu compartilhava de uma linguagem
comum com o restante do mundo.
03:52
that there was this common language
I had with the rest of the world.
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Adotei esse "hobby de vovó",
03:57
It was through this granny hobby --
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simples,
03:59
this unassuming hobby --
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com o qual descobri algo
em comum com pessoas
04:01
that I found commonality with people
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04:04
that I never thought
I'd have a connection with.
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com as quais jamais imaginei
que teria alguma ligação.
Então, contando minha história hoje,
também gostaria de dizer a vocês
04:08
So as I tell my story today,
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04:10
I'd also like to convey to you
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que o poder oculto pode ser encontrado
nos lugares mais simples
04:12
that hidden power can be found
in the most unassuming places,
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e todos temos habilidades que estão
só esperando ser descobertas.
04:15
and we all possess skills
that are just waiting to be discovered.
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Se pensarmos em nossas mãos,
essas ferramentas ligadas a nós,
04:19
If you think about our hands,
these tools that are connected to us,
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e nas coisas que elas podem fazer
04:22
and what they're capable of doing --
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- construir casas e mobília,
pintura de murais gigantes...
04:25
building houses and furniture,
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04:26
and painting giant murals --
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e geralmente temos
um controle remoto ou um celular.
04:28
and most of the time
we hold a controller or a cell phone.
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Também tenho "culpa no cartório" por isso,
04:32
And I'm totally guilty of this as well.
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mas se pararmos pra pensar,
o que aconteceria se abríssemos mão disso?
04:34
But if you think about it,
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04:36
what would happen
if you put those things down?
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O que você faria? O que você criaria
com suas próprias mãos?
04:38
What would you make?
What would you create with your own hands?
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Muita gente acha que sou mestra em tricô,
04:42
A lot of people think
that I am a master knitter
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mas, não seria capaz de tricotar
um suéter para sobreviver,
04:44
but I actually couldn't knit
a sweater to save my life.
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mas fiz algo interessante com o tricô
que jamais havia sido feito.
04:47
But I did something
interesting with knitting
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04:49
that had never been done before.
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Também "não era para eu ser" artista
04:51
I also wasn't "supposed to be" an artist
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no sentido de que eu não tinha
formação pra isso.
04:53
in the sense that I wasn't
formally trained to do this --
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Sou formada em matemática, na verdade.
04:57
I'm a math major actually.
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04:59
So I didn't think
this was in the cards for me,
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Então, não acho que estava
destinada a isso,
mas também sei que não foi por acaso.
05:01
but I also know that I didn't
stumble upon this.
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Quando aconteceu, me agarrei a isso,
05:04
And when this happened to me,
I held on tight,
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lutei por isso e tenho orgulho de dizer
que hoje trabalho com arte.
05:07
I fought for it and I'm proud to say
that I am a working artist today.
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05:12
So as we ponder the future,
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Ao refletir sobre o futuro,
talvez seu futuro
não seja tão "sem costura".
05:15
know that your future
might not be so seamless.
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Talvez um dia você fique
tão entediado quanto eu fiquei
05:17
And one day, you might
be as bored as I was
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e tricote uma capa para maçaneta
que vai mudar sua vida pra sempre.
05:20
and knit a door handle
to change your world forever.
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Obrigada.
05:23
Thank you.
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05:25
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Leonardo Silva
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Magda Sayeg - Textile artist
Magda Sayeg uses handmade, eye-catching yarn bombs to shake up the way we see the world and make us notice things we hadn't seen before.

Why you should listen

Considered to be the mother of yarn bombing, Magda Sayeg’s 10-year body of work includes the widely recognized knitted/crocheted covered bus in Mexico City as well as her first solo exhibit in Rome at La Museo des Esposizione. Her work has evolved to include large scale installations around the world including commissions and collaborations with companies such as Commes Des Garçons, CR Fashionbook, Absolut Vodka, Insight 51, Mini Cooper, Gap, Smart Car. She continues to participate in shows such as Milan's Triennale Design Museum, Le M.U.R. in Paris and the National Gallery of Australia, among others. Her installations have also been featured prominently at American monuments to contemporary culture, such as The Standard Hotel, South By Southwest and the Austin City Limits Festival.

Magda has most recently expanded her artwork to encompass new mediums and techniques as with her solo show in Rome, which explored the usage of lighting with knitted material. She continues to expand her boundaries by joining integrated media company 1stAveMachine as one of their directors which will serve as a platform for new types of experimentation and collaboration.

Recent projects include an installation for Dover Street Market in NYC covering a column spanning 6 floors and a knitted/crocheted Route Master Double Decker bus in London.

More profile about the speaker
Magda Sayeg | Speaker | TED.com

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